2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport review from North America
"Nuisance repairs are a pain, but it can't be beat for fun, performance and hauling power"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Front brake rotors severely warped VERY soon after purchase, fixed by replacing with Superslots slotted (not cross-drilled) rotors.
Shocks were rough at purchase, replaced myself with very nice Monroe Sens-a-Tracs all around.
Broken speaker wire to driver's door speaker.
Loose wiring at heater fan motor caused fan to quit, fixed it myself.
Driver's door window mechanism started to fail a short time ago, chatters badly.
Last week the rear wiper motor died.
General comments?
UPSIDES:This truck is everything I want and need... a severely reliable drive train, comfortable and fun to drive, not TOO big, quick response, nice handling, room for my hockey gear, great towing capability.
It's comfortable on long trips (as long as you don't have to sit in the back seat).
There's a great after market for replacement and upgrade parts for the Cherokee.
DOWNSIDES: It IS a bit noisy and you MUST upgrade the brakes or they will warp over and over, the wiring is crap and will require maintenance in time, gas mileage is lousy if you really put your foot in the gas pedal.
ADDONS: I got MUCH better engine response by replacing the air filter with a K&N filter, running synthetic oil in the engine and rear axle, and replacing the muffler with a Dynomax Super Turbo (catalytic converter is still in place).
If I keep my foot out of the gas pedal I now get 24mpg on highway trips instead of 21mpg before my upgrades.
I spent a lot of time researching vehicles before I got this one and in spite of occasional unexpected maintenance I'm glad I bought the Cherokee.. in fact I wish I'd bought one years ago.
I have friends who got well over 200,000 miles on their Cherokees before selling them.
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| Engine Light and Right Speaker problems |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 2001 |
| Year of manufacture | 2000 |
| First year of ownership | 2004 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 4.0L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 42000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 68000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Ranger |
| Date of Entry | 23rd December, 2005 |